skys-hyperfixation-thoughts

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Caleb Deep Dive

Here is the long awaited deep dive into Caleb from Love and DeepSpace. This has been a long time coming. It took me about 2 months to get all of my thoughts together. Without further ado, this is the Deep Dive.

If you watched this The Caleb Conspiracy video, you'll see that I accidentally convinced myself to fall for Caleb a short time before his official debut as a LI. Hilariously, in this fun little speculative theory, my partner and I managed to get several aspects of Caleb's character right. With his debut came a lot more content about Caleb, a glimpse into his past and where Infold plans to take him as the story progresses. In this essay, we'll be going over Caleb's lore as well as his dynamic with the MC. 

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK!*

I am not here to babysit people and doing a study like this will require me to note specific parts of the story or memory cards from the game. So, yes there will be spoilers. 

With that out of the way, let's dive in. 

It all begins in late December 2024 to early January 2025, my partner and I were quick to pick up hints that Caleb was going to be the next LI. The part 2 stream announcement image alone was enough to confirm our suspicions. Within a few days, we came up with a speculative theory about Caleb. Specifically, what his dynamic with the MC would be and how we interpreted the way he spoke to MC. The biggest takeaway was that my partner and I agreed that, based upon how he spoke to MC in Chapter 4, Caleb would be one of the first LIs to forsake the MCs independence solely because he wanted to protect her.

January 22nd rolls around and Caleb finally debuts. My partner and I gobble up the main story segment ‘Homecoming Wings’ with ferocious speed. Initially, I had only a blanket understanding of Caleb after the debut.

At first, yeah, he did give off some yandere vibes. He was a little scary. That didn’t deter me, so I kept consuming content. I listened to the 4-star Tender Moments. I did the memorias, the bond, and the standard myth. Slowly but surely, the puzzle pieces were coming together.

The final piece was the anecdote. 

“Sky, Sky, what do you mean this was the final piece?”

Caleb’s Anecdote delved into his time at the academy, before he joined the DeepSpace Aviation Administration (DAA). It explained in a little more detail what each aspiring pilot needs to go through in order to graduate. 

It talks about how Caleb aced all but one test. The test? A psychological assessment that required him to go to extra counseling.

But…that wasn’t the biggest punch to the gut. No, it came later when he was in the middle of his flight exam. Somehow, he ended up off the flight path for the exam and drifted along in Deepspace. In that time, as we wait with bated breath and continue reading, it is revealed to us that Caleb is Donor 002. Us, the MC, are known as Subject 001 (see beneath the dust, world underneath). Donor 002, not subject. Caleb was given to the Gaia Research Institute for experimentation, based upon the wording used here. He wasn’t just picked up and plopped into the experiments.  

This was the nail in the coffin. It explains why Caleb acts the way he does. Why he’s willing to go to certain lengths as a means to protect us. He watched us die, he watched us come back, and he watched us forget.

“But didn’t he drug us during the Main Story?”

Yes and no, he gave us drugs, but that was medicine because, per the dialogue boxes for MC, we were coughing. From his perspective, he was seeing us getting sick and gave us cold medicine to take. Cold medicine often makes you drowsy so it makes sense that the MC ended up falling asleep. 

Was there an ulterior motive? Maybe, but the primary concern was the MCs health. So, yes, he gave us drugs, but it was medicine and the overall intent was not malicious. 

“He acted so possessive and obsessive in the main story. He told us he was going to keep us hidden away.”

I am not denying the things he said. What I am saying is that, although he felt that was the extreme he needed to go to, he backed off when the MC was clearly not happy with that. When MC made their feelings about his plan clear, he backed away. He had realized he went too far and needed to re-evaluate. Caleb wants to stay in the MCs life, because we are his pillar. We are his entire reason for living. He does not want to lose us. He clearly puts in the work to change himself and let us be independent, while reminding us that it is okay if we need to rely on him. 

“So is he not yandere?”

I personally do not believe he is yandere. If he is, he is a very tame one. I have always interpreted yandere as taking things to the extreme, not considering the other party's feelings in regards to one's obsession. Caleb takes the MCs feelings into consideration despite his obsessive nature.

Keep in mind that since the explosion of the MCs childhood home, he has a chip in his brain that regulates his emotions. When he gets too emotional, the chip goes to work to attempt to regulate him, which seems to cause pain. Additionally, the chip is supposed to wipe the memories that cause emotional distress, but because Caleb is unwilling to lose any memory with the MC, he cannot be fully controlled by the trip. According to his myth, Lucid Dream, 7% of his brain has been untouchable. The mental fortitude one must have to do such a thing is scarily high. He will do whatever it takes to ensure he never forgets MC.

“You mentioned at the start something about their relationship dynamic. Can you elaborate?”

Initially, I didn’t think I would want to delve into it, but I think it’s important to discuss some of the translation differences. 

In the original text (basically, the non-localized translations), the MC refers to Caleb as ‘Gege’. The direct translation means ‘older brother.’ While the term can be used in the literal sense of referring to one's sibling, it is also a way to refer to someone older than you. The form I am most familiar with is how characters in anime refer to their senior’s as senpai. 

A great example of the use of this in a translated sense is in Wuthering Waves, a gacha game similar to Genshin Impact. As Rover (Main Playable Character), I played through a quest where people referred to those slightly older as ‘Brother/Sister’, then those a bit older as ‘Aunt/Uncle’, and then their elders as ‘Grandpa/Grandma’ while having no familial relations to these NPCs. 

In LADS’ case, I think the use of ‘Gege’ is moreso seniority based rather than familial based. Please do keep in mind that I have consumed this game with the English localization of the text. But at the end of the day, the overall dynamic doesn’t change that much, just the language used.

The English translation refers to Caleb as our ‘childhood friend’ and notes that we grew up with him. My hypothesis is that Josephine made it very clear to them both that they are not siblings, but just friends who happen to live in the same home. Albeit with its own level of drama since Caleb remembers everything from the past and is extremely aware that Josephine experimented on the two of them.

The biggest reason why I wanted to address the use of ‘Gege’ was because of the culture differences. People ask why they didn’t just use similar language in the translation. The answer is really simple, a lot more of the western countries don’t refer to those older than them that way. I myself live in the US, not once have I referred to anyone older than me as ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ or any other form of name along those lines.

LADS’ main purpose with the localization is to broaden its audience horizon. The more people the game can reach, the more possible attention and profit they can make. If that means that some characterizations or language gets lost in the middle, then so be it in their minds. Additionally, Infold doesn’t localize the game itself. They have a third-party do it. So, like with the language, some things can get lost between LADS’ intentions and the portrayal in the localization. 

“Can you give your general overview of Caleb?”

I certainly can. 

Caleb is a genuinely warm and kind person at heart who has had to adapt to survive. He does not want to be the mean, cold, and cruel Colonel, but in order to protect those he cares about, he has to. 

He is a sweet soul who has been put through so much pain and suffering. Experimented on as a child, nearly died twice, and had to watch the person he cares about the most in his entire life die and forget him over and over again. 

Caleb is a man so desperate to protect what he cares about that he will go to extreme lengths to do so. However, if you were to show you don’t agree with his decisions, then he will back off. At the end of the day, he still respects the MC’s opinion of him. He cannot bear to lose them.

“What about his latest limited Myth? Does that add anything new to his character?”

Just a little. It gives some extra depth to some of the things that Caleb does. What is really heartwarming to me is the entire fact that the Main Story, in a way, is the dream come true of their wishes in the myth. Sure, they were still experimented on, but they aren’t being weaponized to the same extent that they were in the limited Myth. The mimicry here where MCs memories were deliberately wiped over and over in the Myth that echoes how MC lost her memory each time she ‘died’ during the experiments at the Gaia Research Center tears at my heart every single time. 

Additionally, one of the biggest notes is Caleb’s insistence of MC never having to eat tasteless food again. I think that was a big motivator for Caleb in the Main Timeline wanting to learn to cook so MC never has to have a bland meal ever again. It is really clear that his love language is acts of service both in the Main Timeline and in his Myth. 

“My Partner: Hey, sweetie, you should talk about the Toring Chip and how that could impact his intimacy.”

You are so right. As we know the chip affects strong and intense emotions. We see it in action both in Caleb’s Myth: Lucid Dream and in the World Underneath: Sketches Vol. 13 with Caleb and his Adjutant Liam. When Caleb experienced a lot of stress related to MC in Lucid Dream, the chip activated and he passed out in her arms. The chip is supposed to remove any memories that cause emotional distress, which creates apathetic weapons that make their decisions primarily based on logic. It is unclear how effective the chip is with Caleb as any memory he has with MC would initiate an emotional reaction. Additionally, canon has stated that he is intentionally protecting his memories of the MC from the chip's influence. 

So we know it has little hold over his memories with MC, but could it potentially have an affect on moments where they are intimate? There is a chance it could. I mean, Caleb has been yearning for MC ever since they were young. His heart would be pounding, he would be so nervous if she even kissed him in the main story. A kiss in the main timeline would be an emotionally intense moment that could cause the chip to activate. We do not know for sure if that would be the case as we have yet to see Caleb attempt to be intimate with MC in the main story in a card where he has the Toring Chip. 

So, potentially, the chip could greatly affect his ability to be physically affectionate with MC.

Update: A little bit after I had written this, the Spring Banner had dropped where we got our first Main Timeline Caleb kiss. Based on the story of the card, the chip did not activate. Additionally, a Secret Times released for Affinity level 105 that is on the spicier side. Once more, the Toring chip did not activate.

There is still certainly a chance the chip could activate during intimacy, but so far, it does not. 

“What? Do you love him or something?”

The answer is simple. Yes, I do love him.

 I loved him the moment I began the small video project with my partner where we did an extrapolation on Caleb as a potential LI prior to his official debut in January. The more I tried to learn about him, the more attached I became. When he released, the ambiguity of what Caleb would be as a byproduct to main story events was so and continues to be extremely intriguing. 

I absolutely love the familiarity in he and MCs relationship dynamic. The comfort they share with one another with playful banter. The teasing and how they both know if it’s a time to be serious or a time to be goofy. They are not perfect by any means, but that gives that dynamic even more charm. He is attentive, kind, sweet, adorably annoying, with that perfect blend of mystery that keeps you hooked, yearning to learn more and more about him. 

In much shorter terms, he is a devoted puppy. This is a fact that he himself does not deny with the several allusions to him comparing himself to a dog. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this deep dive. I had a lot of fun writing it! 

Please feel free to share your thoughts as well. I would absolutely love to see other people’s interpretations of Caleb. 

Thank you again for reading!

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Thank you all for the feedback on the last post.

I was going to work more on the Caleb deep dive but unfortunately ended up catching a nasty cold. I'll get to working on it some more this upcoming weekend.

In regards to the fics, I have plans to polish them up and post them on AO3 in the near future. I'll go into a little detail in that fic my and my partner's OCs so people aren't too lost.

I shall be posting again soon, hopefully!

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Alright, real talk.

I am gonna draft my long af Caleb post in the near future but I'd like some input from the LADS community.

I have been doing some indulgent fic/drabble ish writing inspired by the new cards that I am tempted to post on here. They are LADS x OC fics. They would feature my and my partners' OC inserts for LADS.

I don't often post my indulgent writing, but I was curious if that's something any of y'all would be interested in.

Let me know!

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Hello again friends!

Like I stated in my previous post, I plan on seriously getting into sharing my thoughts about Caleb after I have completed all of his available content.

I have all but Verified Rumor and Endless Summer and have yet to complete the memoria for Painful Signal. Once I have completed those, I'll have a lot more to talk about. I'll make sure to tag that post with a LADS spoiler tag for anyone who has not gotten caught up in the story or has yet to acquire more Caleb content.

To all my LADS fellas, hello! I'm Skyla, my favorites in LADS are Caleb, Sylus, and Zayne.

Yes, Caleb managed to dethrone Sylus from the top of my list. He just has that much swag.

Anyways, I sincerely look forward to delving into Caleb in a much longer post very soon. I can say for sure, I'll be thinking about him for a very very long time.

Till then, toodaloo!

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

T-MINUS 4 DAYS UNTIL HOMECOMING WINGS DROPS

Which means I will not be normal for 3 months

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Oh it's been quite a while since I posted here, oops.

Anyways, per the name, I have been super zoned into Love and Deepspace (which I will refer to as LADS). With Caleb making his debut, I think I'll start sharing more or my thoughts about the game here. Stay tuned!

If you haven't seen it, my partner and I collaborated together and posted a speculative theory video days before the special program. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out! We plan on doing a much larger deep dive into LADS as a whole someday so please keep your eyes peeled for news! Toodaloo!

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

100% accurate

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

I find it amazing how playing the game a second time and listening to the logs helped me understand wtf was going on compared to my first playthrough.

I still love BioShock Infinite so much and it totally isn't only because of Booker Dewitt.

I should probably give BioShock 1 and 2 the same treatment.

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Listen, I don't tend to get super emotionally invested in series that I read or watch.

But let me tell you when I got the part of Chainsaw Man that said 'End of Part 1', I went off. I wasn't like, upset it was more like, you made me suffer and NOW you're telling me that's only the beginning?! How much more will I have to suffer?!

Thank you for coming to my rant

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Apologies for how quiet this account has been. College has been kicking my ass but things are looking up. I hope to start posting more on here very soon. In the meantime, below is a list of my current hyperfixations.

The Last of Us - Just finished watching the HBO show and now I can't stop thinking of Joel (funnily enough, the game version) and James (the HBO version). Perhaps I'll do a more detailed post sometime soon.

Stardew Valley - Gotten back into playing it. Been playing with mods. The additions the Ridgeside Mod and the Stardew Valley Expanded give make the game even more fun.

BioShock Infinite - I did this to myself cause I wanted to do a school project that had something to do with a game and now Booker is stuck in my head.

Psychonauts - Recently I played the entirety of the 1st game as well as the VR game. A friend of mine (@mug-o-matcha) suggested I play and now I am obsessed. More to come about this.

Chainsaw Man - I don't need to say more other than @chroama-the-brute convinced me to read the series. More about this soon.

Anyways, that's an update on what's been up. Will soon try to post more often here. Bye bye for now!

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Here’s just a few of my personal favorite shots from my Greed animatic!

I meant to put this together right after the animation released and then of course I completely forgot, but hey managed it in the end :P

I also added short little commentaries to each of em if you click through but good luck reading em with tumblr’s UI lol

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

I.....lost the Alhaitham 50/50 at 83 pity to Diluc.....

Well, at least I have C1 Diluc and 20ish days to rebuild pity.

Time to grind I guess.

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Careful, the contents are fragile. 

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

Thoughts so far on TLOU HBO Series:

Last night at 9pm, the first episode of the series dropped. I had been interested in TLOU for some time and had been trying to consume the story through lets plays. I had been super excited for this series to come out.

The hype of the show is well worth it. Even in the first episode, the attention to every detail is clear. Certain shots done to echo the games, mentions of characters from other content. It is very much the perfect way to retell the story of Joel and Ellie.

From watching with some friends, we know that they are including elements from the DLC, as a name drop from Ellie confirms this. Additionally, with the gameplay portion taken out, there is more of a chance to explain how people got to where they are. Establish the sort of conditions that these people live in. My friends and I could feel the tension and stress in each scene, I even felt a little nauseous at one point.

I am super excited to see what each episode has in store and getting to meet all the characters again.

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

I'm opening up commissions!

If you'd like to request one, you can contact me via DMs on my Twitter (@chroamathebrute) or on tumblr!

To see more examples of my art you can go to @free-draw

Contact me for more info!

[skys-hyperfixation-thoughts]

"She is here"

I finally got around to making some Faith fanart! If you haven't already, you should check out Faith: The Unholy Trinity